By Ben Olson
Reader Staff
Each year, the Sandpoint Reader and SandpointOnline.com conducts a media survey to better understand what local media consumers read, listen and watch.
The results have come in for 2019’s survey, which you can view to the right.
A total of 603 people participated in the survey both online and in person around North Idaho. As we do every year, we selected one of the participants at random to award them a $100 gift certificate at MickDuff’s. This year, Diane Bomgardner of Priest River was selected as the winner. Congratulations, Diane!
In the first category, we asked participants which print media they regularly consume in the region. The Reader came out in the lead with 75.5 percent of participants, followed by Sandpoint Magazine with 65 percent and the Bonner County Daily Bee with 50 percent. The Co-Op Roundup came in with 37 percent, followed by the Inlander (34 percent), Living Local Magazine (25.5 percent), Neighbors by the Daily Bee (10 percent), Northern Journeys (3 percent), the Wise Guide (6 percent), Out There Monthly (5 percent) and the River Valley Beacon (1.5 percent).
In the radio category, KPND 95.3 FM came out ahead with 33 percent, followed by KRFY 88.5 FM Panhandle Community Radio with 24 percent, K102 County with 17 percent and KPND 106.7 FM with 16 percent. Rock 103 took 13 percent, KSPT 1400 AM took 7 percent and KBFI 1450 AM took 1 percent.
In the online category, SandpointOnline.com leads the pack with over 50 percent, followed by BonnerCountyDailyBee.com with 39.5 percent and SandpointReader.com with 37 percent.
In the social media question, nearly 70 percent of participants said they regularly use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or YouTube, while 16 percent said they regularly use the Weekly Town Crier newsletter. In a sub-question for social media, Facebook took the clear lead with 85 percent of participants regularly using it, compared with Instagram (34 percent), YouTube (31 percent) and Pinterest (17 percent).
Thanks to everyone who participated in this year’s media survey. These results, as well as the hundreds of comments we receive, help us create a better product. They also help us show potential advertisers that the Reader is widely read throughout the county, and it only gets better every year. In 2016, the Reader took 57 percent of votes, followed the next year with 67 percent, 64 percent in 2018 and 75 percent in 2019.
See a pattern? We hope so.
